Hillel welcomes students of all backgrounds and fosters an enduring commitment to Jewish life, learning and Israel. As the largest Jewish student organization in the world, Hillel builds connections with emerging adults and inspires them to direct their own Jewish journey.

You are now logged out of www.hillel.org.
If you logged in using a service such as Facebook or Google, you may still be logged in there. If this is a shared computer, you should log out of all accounts.

NEWS & VIEWS - Blog

Milwaukee Welcomes Visitors to New Building

Hillel Milwaukee yesterday hosted an open house to introduce more than 100 community members and university officials to its new facility, the Joseph and Vera Zilber Hillel Student Center.

Wayne L. Firestone, president of Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, spoke to guests about the importance of Hillel and the exciting impact that the new facility will have for Jewish students at Milwaukee-area universities.

Diana Azimov, student vice president and a University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee junior, commented, "Hillel is a safe haven for students to come from all local campuses and all walks of life. It allows us to immerse ourselves in a community that fosters Jewish identity. Hillel also makes opportunities available to us that we might not have otherwise had."

The Joseph and Vera Zilber Hillel Student Center is located at 3053 North Stowell Avenue on Milwaukee's East Side. The building is owned by the Milwaukee Jewish Federation and was funded by a $2 million grant from the Zilber Family Foundation. The building was designed by the architectural firm of La Dallman & Associates and was constructed by Stier Construction. The building incorporates many green-building practices, including green roof, dual flush toilets, sustainable furniture materials, and other features.

Other speakers included Marlene Lauwasser, member of the Hillel Milwaukee Board of Directors; John "Chip" Mann, immediate past president of the Hillel Milwaukee; Heidi Rattner, executive director of Hillel Milwaukee; and Dr. Susan Lloyd, executive director of the Zilber Family Foundation.

Tours of the new Zilber Building were given by students and staff of Hillel Milwaukee, and students Nashira Young and Amanda C. Ruppenthal provided musical entertainment.

The Open House was followed by the Milwaukee Jewish Federation's 2009 Annual Meeting at the Helene Zelazo Center on the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campus.